Method of depilating carcasses



Patented July 23, 1929.

UNITED. STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES TAYLOR WALTER, orCIIICAeO', ILLINOIs, ASSIGNOR 'ro swrr'r a COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILpINOIs, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

METHOD OF DEPILATING CARCASSES.

No Drawing.

' and the main object of the invention is to provide an improved method of depilating the carcass.

This improved method of depilation may.

be employed in the treatment of any kind of carcass but it has its main application in the treatment of hog carcasses. Heretofore, in the depilation of a hog carcass, it-Was common practice to use a scraping and beating machine to remove the greatter part of, the hair. The carcass was then scraped by hand and also singedin an attempt] to remove the remaining hairs Such prior methods of depilation were objectionable, because the scraping and singeing failed to remove the roots of the hair which frequently detracted from theappearance of the cuts of meat and reduced the selling price as much as one and even two cents per pound. During certain months of the year, known to the trade as the hard hair months, it is especially difiicult to dep ilate the hog carcasses by scraping and singeing.

The difliculties encountered in the depila:

tion of carcasses by the aforementioned methods are overcome in the use of this improved method which consists in coating the carcass with a hot congealable liquid and then, after the coating has solidified by cooling, stripping it with the embedded hair from the carcass.

Various temperature controlled substances may be used for making the coating, but

it has been found ,that pitch, resin, and paraflin produce ver in a mixture of a thirty parts pitch, and five partsparaifin.

The coating may be applied in various ways as by painting, spraying or dipping.

In carrying out th1s improved method, the carcasses may be suspended from an overhead good results when used track by the customary trolleys, which are well known in the art, andwhich convey the carcasses to the difi'erent points Or stations where various operations are performed and inspections made. The carcasses are first conveyed to a point where they are subjected to a spray of scalding water which tends to loosen the roots of the hair. A If desired, the

. cascasses may then be acted upon-by a beating and scraping machine for the removal of the greater part of the hair.

ut sixty-five parts resin,

Application filed September 12, 1927. Serial No. 219,174.

The entire carcass is then dipped into a bath of molten pitch, resin, and par-afiin for applying a congealable coating. After leavmg the coating tank, the carcass is subjected to a cold water spray for quickly hardening the coating. After the coating has solidified it may be readily stripped by hand from the carcass. V 1

; Any hair remaining on the carcass, when the latter is dipped in'the tank, becomes embedded in the coating and when the coating is stripped from the carcass it carries with it the embedded hairs and leaves thehide clean and smooth. The stripped coating may then be melted and the hairs removed by a filtering process so as to permit the pitch, resin and paraffin to be used repeatedly.

It is to be understood that I use the word depilating and its variants in a broad sense to include removal of any and all ordinary dermal excrescences or growths such as hair, bristles, eathers, fuzz, down, pinfeathers and the like Occurring on the carcasses of .food

- variants only in the sense of hardening by drop in temperature. 1

Although this invention is here particularly described in its preferred embodiment, it

will be understood that the various steps of the method may be modified by the omission or alteration of details and substitution of ingredients, without departin from the spirit of this invention as defined y the following Claims.

I claim: I A r 1. The method of depilating a carcass which consists in coatin the carcass with a congealable 1i uid, chilfi coating with the embedded hairs rom the i carcass.

ng the coating to 7 cause it to solldify, and then stripping the consists in scalding the carcass, coating it with; a liquid including pitch, chilling the coating to cause it to solidify, and then strip-. ping the coating with the embedded hairs from the carcass, I

5. The method of depilating a carcass which consists in scalding the carcass, coating it with a liquid including pitch and resin, chilling the coating to cause itto solidify, and

able liquid including pitch, resin and paraflin,

chilling the coating to cause it to solidify, and then stripping the coating with the embedded hairs from the carcass.

8. The method of depilating a carcass which consists in scalding the carcass, then coating the carcass with a congealable liquid including pitch, resin, and parafiin, chilling the coating to cause it to solidify, and then strip ping the coating with the embedded hairs from the carcass;

' 9. The method of depilatinga carcass which consists in scalding it, dipping the carcass in a liquid bath including'molten pitch about thirty parts, resin about sixty-five parts and parafiin about five parts, to apply a congealable coating thereto, chilling the coating with ater, and ,then stripping the coating with the embedded hairs from the carcass.

10. The method of depilating, carcasses which consists in coating the same with a congealable liquid, ch illing the coating to cause it to solidify, stripping the coating with the embedded hairs from the carcass, melting the coating, and then separating the molten material from the hairs for reuse.

11. The herein described method of dressing carcasses, consisting in coating the samewith melted Waxy and adhesive material, causing said material to congeal, and finally removing thecongealed Waxy and adhesive material and with it hair and extraneous material.

' Signed at Chicago this th day of August, 1927. V

CHARLES TAYLQR WALTER; 

